Board game apparatus

ABSTRACT

A game apparatus comprising a board with a playing surface made up of circular spaces disposed about the board in 12 ranks and 9 files. Two shaded areas at opposite ends of the playing surface are the starting and objective spaces for the opposing teams. The cylindrical playing pieces are marked by team (color) and by playing values (dots) on each end. The one end is solid color (e.g., red), the other end is the other team&#39;&#39;s color (e.g., blue), with a ring of the first team&#39;&#39;s color around the piece to indicate a captured piece. Play runs through a series of &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;turns&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; determined by the roll of two dice until one player has moved all his pieces into his objective shaded area or has filled all the spaces in his objective shaded area.

[451 Feb. 12, 1974 United States Patent [19] Patterson BOARD GAME APPARATUS [76] Inventor: David N. Patterson, Box 306, Primary Examiner-Delbert .Lowe

Edinboro, Pa. 16412 Feb. 28, I972 [57] ABSTRACT A game apparatus comprising a board with a playing surface made up of circular spaces dispose [22] Filed: [21] Appl. No.: 229,830 d about the board in 12 ranks and 9 files. Two shaded areas at opposite ends of the playing surface are the starting and objective spaces for the opposing teams. The cylindrical playing pieces are marked by team (color) and by ots) on each end. The one end is [58] Field of Search......

273/131 I37 playing values ((1 solid color (e.g., red), the other end is the other teams color (e.g., blue), with a ring of the first team's color around the piece to indicate a captured piece.

runs through a series of turns determined by the roll of two dice until one player has moved all his pieces into his objective shaded area or has filled all the spaces in his objective shaded area.

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1 Claim, 4 Drawing Figures R C 3 3 l 3 3 72 2 1,092,810 11/1954 1,470,050 1/1967 France 905 636 4/1945 France 0 3 I I k fimmwmwwmmm BOARD GAME APPARATUS STATEMENT OF INVENTION This invention relates generally to games and, more particularly, to a board game of the chess/checkers type especially suitable for play by two persons.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide an improved board game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel playing piece for use in the game.

Another object of the invention is to provide a game that is simple, economical to manufacture, interesting and entertaining to play.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the playing surface according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is an isometric side view of a playing piece showing the ringed end or the end placed up when captured according to the invention.

FIG. 3 is an isometric side view of a playing piece shown in FIG. 2 according to the invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the playing pieces in the three lowest ranks, showing a number on each one corresponding to the number of dots that will be on the top of the piece when the piece is in playing position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Now with more particular reference to the drawings, the game board as shown in FIG. 1 may be made of any stiff and durable material such as cardboard, particle board, wood or plastic. It is a rectangular surface generally flat and marked off in circular divisions 13 which are disposed about the board in 12 ranks and 9 files. To play the game, the opposing players will orient themselves generally facing the board from their respective starting ends and, for convenience of reference, the files can be referred to from left to right, as when reading, one to nine, and the ranks for convenience of reference can be referred to, from the nearest to the farthest, as one to twelve. Thus the opposing sides being red and blue, red rank 1, file l, is also blue rank 12, file 9.

With further reference to FIG. 1, the playing surface 10 has 108 circular spaces 13 arranged in 12 ranks and 9 files. Said files 12 run from end to end of said board and said ranks 9 run from side to side of said board. 21 spaces at one end of the board are shaded red. This, then, is the red end. The red shaded spaces 11 are grouped in red ranks, 1, 2, and 3, on red files 2 through 8. Symetrically opposed to the red shaded end is the blue shaded end. The 21 blue shaded spaces 12 are similarly grouped in blue ranks 1, 2, and 3 on blue files 2 through 8. The preceding are the starting positions of the playing pieces. The 66 remaining circular spaces 13 are of a neutral shade. The neutral spaces 13 include the red or blue files 1 and 9, and the red or blue ranks 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9. Red team pieces are red on the top, blue on the bottom, with a red circle on the blue end for identification. Blue team pieces are blue on the top, red on the bottom, with a blue ring on the red end for identification.

The playing piece as illustrated in FIG. 3 is generally cylindrical in shape and of a size to match the circular spaces on the playing surface, the circular spaces being disposed with enough room between them for convenience of play. A group of dots l8, numbering between 1 and 6, appears on one face of this piece. On the other face, shown in FIG. 2, is another group of dots 19. If the two faces of any playing piece 14 are added together, the total will be 7. The red face 15 is shown in FIG. 3, the dots 18 showing a playing value of 3. If captured, the piece would be turned to its ringed end, as in FIG. 2 and the dots 19 indicate its playing value would be 4.

The said pieces are made up of 21 first pieces each having a first color on its first end and a second color on its second end, and twenty-one second pieces each having said second color on its first end and said first color on its second end.

Each set of said first pieces and said second pieces is made up of six pieces having six dots on its first end and a reciprocal value of one dot on its second end,

five pieces having five dots on its first end and a reciprocal value of two dots on its second end,

four pieces having four dots on its first end and a reciprocal value of three dots on its second end,

three pieces having three dots on its first end and a reciprocal value of four dots on its second end, two pieces having two dots on its first end and a reciprocal value of five dots on its second end, and one piece having one dot on its first end and a reciprocal value of six dots on its second end.

The object of the game is for a player to move all pieces from the starting shaded area to the shaded area at the objective end of the board, orto cover all shaded circles at the objective end of the board.

In setting up this game, all pieces are turned such that the circled face is down. Players then position their pieces in the starting shaded area in'the following manner:

The 6s in the shaded spaces of files 2 and 8.

The 5s fill the remaining shaded spaces of ranks 3 and The 4s fill the remaining shaded spaces of files 3 and 7. The 3s fill the remaining shaded spaces of ranks 2 and l l.

The 2s fill the remaining shaded spaces of files 4 and 6. The ls fill the remaining shaded spaces of file 5.

To play, the red pieces are grouped at one end, the blue at the other. Two dice are rolled to determine piece movement One die determines which piece is to be moved, the other die determines how many moves the piece may make. For example, a roll of a 6 and a 4 means that any 6 may make 4 moves or any 4 may make 6 moves. Pieces may be moved to an adjoining space except those diagonally disposed from the starting space. Pieces cannot jump other pieces and adjoining spaces must be available in order for a piece to move. Piece movement is not restricted to a single piece. Any of the pieces corresponding in value to the die may be moved. The total number of moves is restricted by the value of the second die. The player does not have to use the total number of moves indicated by the dice. Also, the player does not have to move at all. However, any moves not taken may be used by the opponent with a corresponding piece and shall not be considered as his turn. Players have the option to capture opposing pieces. Capture is not mandatory. Capture means that the opponent piece has been overpowered. For a piece to be overpowered the pieces must be opposing each other along a rank or a file, not diagonally. The capturing piece must have higher value than the opposing piece. Capture is considered a move and the capturing piece must have the right to at least one move, as determined by the roll of the dice. Pieces may be backed up by one other piece increasing their total value. Thus a lesser value piece may capture his opponent if he is backed up and has a greater total value than the opponent. The opponent may also be backed up to increase his total value making capture impossible if his total value is greater. When overpowered, the piece is then turned over, exposing the color of the captured piece and, in effect, adding additional power to the capturing side. Pieces may also be recaptured.

The game has two possible endings. The game ends in match play when a player has succeeded in getting all his pieces into the shaded area or has occupied all available spaces in the shaded area. In medal play, the players then total the value of pieces occupying their objective shaded areas. The player with the highest total wins the game.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which it is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A game comprising a rectangular board,

two conventional dice,

42 playing pieces,

said board having one hundred and eight designations defined thereon,

said designations being disposed in the form of 12 ranks and nine files,

said dice being adapted to be used to determine which playing piece can be moved and how far said playing piece can be moved in either a rank or in a file,

said playing pieces being generally cylindrical in shape and having flat ends,

said fiat ends of each said piece having indicia thereon,

said pieces being made up of twenty-one first pieces each having a first color on its first end and a second color on its second end, and 21 second pieces each having said second color on its first end and said first color on its second end,

each set of said first pieces and said second pieces made up of six pieces having six dots on its first end and one dot on its second end,

five pieces having five dots on its first end and two dots on its second end, I

four pieces having four dots on its first end and three dots on its second end,

three pieces having three dots on its first end and four dots on its second end,

two pieces having two dots on its first end and five dots on its second end,

one piece having one dot on its first end and six dots on its second end,

each of said first pieces and said second pieces being adapted to be arranged on opposite sides of said board in three ranks and seven files with said first pieces arranged in ranks one, two and three, and said second pieces arranged in ranks l0, 1 l and 12,

ranks three and ten having pieces arranged with dots 

1. A game comprising a rectangular board, two conventional dice, 42 playing pieces, said board having one hundred and eight designations defined thereon, said designations being disposed in the form of 12 ranks and nine files, said dice being adapted to be used to determine which playing piece can be moved and how far said playing piece can be moved in either a rank or in a file, said playing pieces being generally cylindrical in shape and having flat ends, said flat ends of each said piece having indicia thereon, said pieces being made up of twenty-one first pieces each having a first color on its first end and a second color on its second end, and 21 second pieces each having said second color on its first end and said first color on its second end, each set of said first pieces and said second pieces made up of six pieces having six dots on its first end and one dot on its second end, five pieces having five dots on its first end and two dots on its second end, four pieces having four dots on its first end and three dots on its second end, three pieces having three dots on its first end and four dots on its second end, two pieces having two dots on its first end and five dots on its second end, one piece having one dot on its first end and six dots on its second end, each of said first pieces and said second pieces being adapted to be arranged on opposite sides of said board in three ranks and seven files with said first pieces arranged in ranks one, two and three, and said second pieces arranged in ranks 10, 11 and 12, ranks three and ten having pieces arranged with dots of sixfive-five-five-five-five-six. 